Monomoy Regional District Review
Comprehensive District Review Report
Monomoy Regional School District
Review conducted November 14-17, 2016
Center for District and School Accountability
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Organization of this Report
Executive Summary 1
Monomoy Public Schools Comprehensive District Review Overview 3
Leadership and Governance 15
Curriculum and Instruction 20
Assessment 26
Human Resources and Professional Development 32
Student Support 37
Financial and Asset Management 42
Appendix A: Review Team, Activities, Schedule, Review 44
Appendix B: Enrollment, Performance, Expenditures 46
Appendix C: Instructional Inventory 56
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906
Phone 781-338-3000
This document was prepared by the
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.
Commissioner
Published April 2017
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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Monomoy Regional District Review
Executive Summary
In 2010, the school districts of Harwich and Chatham agreed to merge in order to form the Monomoy Regional School District. Since then district leaders have worked to create a unified school district. Bargaining units and administrators have established uniform employment agreements, and an essentially new leadership team was formed as schools opened and closed. Regionalization has been implemented well and has been accepted by most stakeholders; each town is seeing benefits to the agreement that was many years in the making. Both communities enjoy modern and well-maintained facilities. Students benefit from the increased access to programming that regionalization provides at the high school.
The district spends above the state average in per-pupil expenditures and has used this financial support to build a solid foundation for the district. For instance, investments have been made in new curriculum, assessments (in materials and staffing), and professional development. Also, the district has prioritized support for struggling students and strategically supports professional growth and development for all staff. However, the district is not meeting its targets toward narrowing achievement gaps.
As part of the site visit, the review team observed 63 classes throughout the district: 18 at Monomoy Regional High School, 18 at Monomoy Regional Middle School, and 27 at the twoelementary schools. The review team observed 24 ELA classes, 22 mathematics classes, and 19 classes in other subject areas. Among the classes observed were two special education classes, two English language learner (ELL) classes, and one career/technical education class. The observations were approximately 20 minutes in length. All review team members collected data using ESE‘s Instructional Inventory, a tool for recording observed characteristics of standards-based teaching. This data is presented in Appendix C.
In observed classrooms instruction was largely conducted at a low cognitive skill level. While students and staff were largely respectful and positive, students were not sufficiently challenged. Most observed instruction was teacher centered and students generally were not actively engaged in their learning.
Strengths
The district has established a solid foundation upon which to build stronger instructional practices, as well as systems of student assessment and support. The strong foundation was apparent in each of the standards reviewed by the team.
The school committee and administrators have developed aligned planning documents that help to focus the district on common work. The collegiality of the administrative team and the coordination of planning efforts are an important part of the foundation that the district has established. Further, the superintendent, school committee, and town officials have developed a positive working relationship between member towns and the district. The result is that the Monomoy Regional School District has a transparent and open budget process, and a well-funded school system.
Challenges and Areas for Growth
The district has not developed a sufficient system of accountability to ensure that its stated intentions are realized in practice. For instance, in the area of curriculum and instruction, the review team noted evidence of a well-documented curriculum; however, in the 63 classes observed in all district schools, the team found little evidence that the stated curriculum informed classroom instruction. Instead, the review team observed inconsistencies in the quality of instruction and limited implementation of the district’s stated instructional priorities. A similar disconnect between stated intentions and practice was found in the team's review of the human resources and professional development standard. While the district has provided multiple professional development opportunities and structures to promote professional learning, the review team found little evidence that the district has leveraged its educator evaluation system to ensure improved outcomes for teachers and students.
The district has also not used data to promote improved student achievement. The district has not used performance data to establish its instructional and intervention priorities, compromising the effectiveness of student support structures. Without using performance benchmarks to inform instruction and student support, the district's ability to improve student achievement is limited.
Recommendations
The district should continue working to use data systematically as it establishes its priorities, promotes a culture of growth-oriented supervision and evaluation, and refines instruction and student support. A critical analysis of data and the establishment of clear improvement targets could serve as the glue that binds together the strong organizational work that Harwich and Chatham have done in the establishment of the Monomoy Regional School District.
Monomoy Public Schools Comprehensive District Review Overview
Purpose
Conducted under Chapter 15, Section 55A of the Massachusetts General Laws, comprehensive district reviews support local school districts in establishing or strengthening a cycle of continuous improvement. Reviews consider carefully the effectiveness of system-wide functions, with reference to the six district standards used by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE): leadership and governance, curriculum and instruction, assessment, human resources and professional development, student support, and financial and asset management. Reviews identify systems and practices that may be impeding improvement, as well as those most likely to be contributing to positive results.
Districts reviewed in the 2016–2017 school year include districts classified as Level 2, Level 3, or Level 4 of ESE’s framework for district accountability and assistance. Review reports may be used by ESE and the district to establish priorities for assistance and make resource allocation decisions.
Methodology
Reviews collect evidence for each of the six district standards. A review team consisting of independent consultants, with expertise in each of the district standards, reviews documentation, data, and reports for two days before conducting a four-day district visit that includes visits to individual schools. The review team conducts interviews and focus group sessions with stakeholders---school committee members, teachers’ association representatives, administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Team members also observe classroom instructional practice. After the onsite review, the review team meets for two days to develop findings and recommendations before submitting a draft report to ESE.
Review
The review of the Monomoy Regional School District was conducted from November 14–17, 2016. The review included 29.5 hours of interviews and focus group sessions with approximately 95 stakeholders. The review team conducted 3 focus groups with 13 elementary school teachers, 11 middle-school teachers, and 12 high-school teachers.
A list of review team members, information about review activities, and the review schedule are in Appendix A. Appendix B provides information about enrollment, student performance, and expenditures. The review team observed instructional practice in 63 classrooms in 4 schools. The team collected data using ESE’s Instructional Inventory, a tool for recording observed characteristics of standards-based teaching. These data are contained in Appendix C.
District Profile
In December 2010, concurrent special town meeting votes in Harwich and Chatham created the Monomoy Regional School District. District schools were brought under the leadership of an interim superintendent in the spring of 2011 and the first superintendent was appointed in 2013.
In 2011 the district began consolidating and modernizing its schools. Construction for a new high school was approved by voters in 2011 and construction began in March 2013. In September 2014 the regional high school opened and Harwich Middle School and Harwich High School were closed. A regional middle school opened in the former Chatham Middle-High School.
School committee members are elected: four from Chatham and four from Harwich. Because of the sizes of the towns and the regional agreement developed, Chatham resident members have a half vote and Harwich members have a full vote. Neither town manager sits on the school committee, and the committee's leadership alternates between towns each term. The eight members of the school committee meet bi-monthly with few exceptions.
The current superintendent has been in the position since July 1, 2013. The district leadership team includes the superintendent; the business manager; the director of student services; the director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, the director of instructional technology; and high school, middle school, and two elementary school principals. The district has four principals leading four schools. Central office positions have been mostly stable in number since the full consolidation of the new district in 2013. There are 14 department heads, 19 teacher leaders, and other school administrators, including four assistant principals. In the 2015–2016 school year, there were 170 teachers in the district.
In the 2015–2016 school year, 1,931 students were enrolled in the district’s 4 schools:
Table 1: Monomoy Public Schools
Schools, Type, Grades Served, and Enrollment*, 2015–2016
School Name / School Type / Grades Served / Enrollment /Harwich Elementary / EES / Pre-K–4 / 597
Chatham Elementary / EES / Pre-K–4 / 270
Monomoy Regional Middle School / MS / 5–7 / 437
Monomoy Regional High School / HS / 8–12 / 627
Totals / 4 schools / Pre-K–12 / 1,931
*As of October 1, 2015
Between 2013 and 2016, overall student enrollment increased by 2.7 percent. Enrollment figures by race/ethnicity and high needs populations (i.e., students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and English language learners (ELLs) and former ELL students are compared with the state in Tables B1a and B1b in Appendix B.
Total in-district per pupil expenditures were higher than the median in-district per pupil expenditures for 51 districts of similar size (1,000-1,999 students) in fiscal year 2015: $16,587, compared with a median of $13,140 (see District Analysis and Review Tool Detail: Staffing & Finance). Actual net school spending has been well above what is required by the Chapter 70 state education aid program, as shown in Table B6 in Appendix B.
Student Performance
Monomoy Regional is a Level 2 district because all its schools are in Level 2 for not meeting their gap narrowing targets for all students and high needs students.
Table 2: Monomoy Regional School DistrictDistrict and School PPI, Percentile, and Level 2013–2016
School / Group / Annual PPI / Cumulative PPI / School
Percentile / Accountability
Level
2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016
Chatham ES / All / 38 / 75 / -- / 25 / 41 / 36 / 2
High Needs / 63 / 25 / 63 / 17 / 37
Harwich ES / All / 69 / 31 / -- / 63 / 54 / 37 / 2
High Needs / 13 / 44 / -- / 69 / 54
Monomoy Regional MS / All / 85 / 55 / -- / 65 / 65 / 59 / 2
High Needs / 90 / 30 / 60 / 65 / 59
Monomoy Regional HS / All / 57 / 61 / -- / 86 / 74 / 47 / 2
High Needs / 71 / 43 / -- / 46 / 49
District / All / 57 / 54 / -- / 57 / 56 / -- / 2
High Needs / 61 / 32 / -- / 46 / 44
Between 2015 and 2016, the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding expectations declined by 1 percentage point in ELA and improved by 8 percentage points in math.
· In ELA the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations declined by 3 and 4 percentage points for high needs students and students with disabilities, respectively.
· In math the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations improved by 6 and 7 percentage points for high needs students and economically disadvantaged students, respectively, and by 4 and 3 percentage points for ELL and former ELL students and students with disabilities, respectively.
Table 3: Monomoy Regional School DistrictELA and Math Meeting or Exceeding Expectations (Grades 3–8) 2015–2016
Group / ELA / Math
2015 / 2016 / Change / 2015 / 2016 / Change
All students / 54% / 53% / -1 / 40% / 48% / 8
High Needs / 35% / 32% / -3 / 27% / 33% / 6
Economically Disadvantaged / 39% / 39% / 0 / 31% / 38% / 7
ELL and former ELL students / 34% / 35% / 1 / 26% / 30% / 4
Students with disabilities / 15% / 11% / -4 / 10% / 13% / 3
Between 2013 and 2016, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in science improved by 1 percentage point for all students, and by 4 percentage points for high needs students and students with disabilities. In 2016, the percentage of all students scoring proficient or advanced in science was 3 percentage points above the state rate. In 2016, the percentages of high needs students, economically disadvantaged students, and ELL and former ELL students scoring proficient or advanced in science were between 5 and 11 percentage points higher than the 2016 state rates.
Table 4: Monomoy Regional School DistrictScience Proficiency by Subgroup 2013–2016
Group / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 4-Year Trend / Above/Below
State 2016
All students / District / 56% / 63% / 63% / 57% / 1 / 3
State / 53% / 55% / 54% / 54% / 1
High Needs / District / 32% / 35% / 47% / 36% / 4 / 5
State / 31% / 33% / 31% / 31% / 0
Economically Disadvantaged / District / -- / -- / 54% / 41% / -- / 9
State / -- / -- / 34% / 32% / --
ELL and former ELL students / District / -- / 41% / 55% / 30% / -- / 11
State / 19% / 18% / 19% / 19% / 0
Students with disabilities / District / 14% / 24% / 29% / 18% / 4 / -3
State / 21% / 21% / 22% / 21% / 0
The district did not reach its 2016 Composite Performance Index (CPI) targets in ELA, math, and science for any group except for economically disadvantaged students in math.